Friday, June 30, 2017

When it comes to flatware no one has
thought and dreamed more about it than the owners and creators of Certine. With
a unique design and thought toward allowing the true taste of food to shine
through, co-owners David Muise, Rachel Rodrigues and Bill Todd, have created a
ceramic fork, knife and spoon that not only enhance the taste of food, but
enhance the table as well.

When Todd invited Muise to lunch one
day, he explained, “We’ve been eating wrong.” Throughout history silverware has
been a sign of wealth and prosperity, rather than a way to get food to the
mouth. Half of the world doesn’t use metal when they eat, said Muise. With
hours of research, the three of them determined that making flatware out of ceramic
would be a good idea for many reasons.

“Certine is a sustainable
dematerialization that uses less material from the earth and has more function,”
said Muise. The three pieces are made from ceramic, but have a different
structure than china or pottery making it stronger and more durable.

The Certine flatware is non-abrasive,
has a diamond shine and is one of the hardest surfaces on earth. They use an
advanced tetragonal, a five sided crystal structure to make it stronger.The utensils can be broken if used
inappropriately, to pry a lid or cut through hard cheese. These are made for
the eating experience exclusively.

“Almost everything made these days is
ergonomic. Silverware is one of the only things with flat handles,” Muise
pointed out. Certine products are ergonomic and light because they are made
with ceramic.

“We realized that ceramic is inert and will not react with bases or acids,”
said Muise. People will not get the “galvanic effect” where there is a sharp
taste of metal when acidic food reacts with metal fillings in the mouth or a
stainless utensil causing a type of electric shock.

Each piece was created with the needs of
the user in mind. The fork is scalloped so that the tines can fit into the edge
of a salad bowl to get the last morsel. The head is wider and with the proper
fulcrum and the side of the fork can be used to cut things. The name Certine
came from the quest to make a fork that had tines that wouldn’t break.

The spoon can hold 10 mL of liquid. It
is tapered to make it easier to go into the mouth. It looks like a spade, Muise
said. The deeper volume makes each spoonful a mouthful.

“They perfected the knife 3,000 years
ago. Our knife is much sharper than normal knives,” said Muise. The knife can
be used to slice butter or cut steak.

Five piece silverware sets are a “misuse
of materials,” said Muise. It’s based on meaningless traditions and the 100,000
pounds of smog made from the production of stainless steel makes the process
environmentally unfriendly, he added.

Metal silverware gets tiny, micro
abrasions that collect bacteria and particles that can affect children, the
elderly and those who are immune compromised.

Although the products have only been on
the market for a year, the owners have been working on the perfect set for four
years. Through much research, they found that the flatware had great potential
in the healthcare industry, said Muise. The way the product is made helps with
dysgeusia, where everything tastes like metal.

This helps people undergoing
chemotherapy, who are the ones most affected, to taste and enjoy their food,
said Muise.

People with arthritis have a difficult
time holding heavy metal instruments that can tend to be hot or cold. Certine
products don’t get hot sitting in soup or coffee.

“It turns out people were already
looking for us,” he said. Sets of Certine flatware are available in specialty
kitchen stores in Maine, New York City, New Orleans, Connecticut and online
including Amazon. The sets will now be sold in groupings of four.

There is a guarantee that under normal use,
washing in the dishwasher and regular wear and tear, it will not break. There
will also be new products available like a chef’s-tasting-spoon and something
new for the holiday season.

Certine was chosen for season three of
Greenlight Maine on NBC. Filming will begin in two weeks.

For more information on the company,
visit www.Certine.com, email info@certine.com
or find them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. See the product locally at
Mills and Company in the Don Rich Plaza off Route 302.

Friday, June 23, 2017

Today, 88% of Americans age 65 and above receive Social
Security benefits and this income keeps approximately one-third out of poverty.
More than one third of the future Social Security beneficiaries (ages 45-64)
questioned in a recent AARP® / Financial Planning Association® (FPA®) survey*
expect their benefit to make up more than half of their retirement income. And,
that same survey showed that the many rules and intricacies of this program may
not be well understood, and these misconceptions could have a significant
dollars and cents impact for those same respondents.

It is important for you to work with the Social
Security Administration for a full discussion of your available benefits and
options. Work with your financial advisor to position your income needs throughout retirement.

When
most people hear the word acupuncture there is a moment of hesitation. Isn’t
that needles? At Maine Roots Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine, owned and run by
Kimberly Bickford, LAc.DiPL.O.M., professionalism and education are combined
with Chinese medicine that has been used successfully for hundreds of years.

“Acupuncture
is used when the chi is out of alignment to help the body fix itself. It
redirects the chi and blood flow to areas that need to be corrected. The body
is really incredible at healing itself,” Bickford said. Through the use of
thin, hair like needles, she is able to help correct issues her patients are
having.

“The
body almost opens up for it, instead of slicing and cutting,” she said. The
needles are very different than the ones used in a doctor’s office.

Bickford
works out of Raymond RediCare, 1278 Roosevelt Trail in Raymond, and has been
there since last October. “I love it here,” she said. She has been treating
patients for four years.

“In
the military I broke my back,” she said. She tried acupuncture treatments
because she wanted to be able to ride her horse again. After five treatments,
she was back on her horse. Her back issue is completely resolved and only
occasionally does she need touch ups if it gets reinjured.

In
her practice she treats a lot of pain, Bell’s palsy, gynecological issues like
infertility, digestive issues, Crohn’s Disease, IBS and heartburn. It is also
effective for seasonal allergies, stress and anxiety.

“It’s
starting to become a little more popular,” she said of the treatments. In
addition to acupuncture, she also does cupping, Qi-Gong and Gua Sha on
injuries.

Bickford
has an undergraduate degree in professional holistic development and two master’s
degrees in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

In
the herbal component to the practice, Bickford combines formulas from 487
single herbs that have been around for 200 years and modifies the blend for
each person. It can be a pill form or granules, depending on what she is
treating. The tinctures and herbs are sent from a manufacturing plant before
given to the patients.

Bickford
recommends the acupuncture first and then try herbs if that isn’t effective.

“The
benefits of acupuncture are so wonderful. I think putting more things in the
body isn’t necessary,” she said.

The
intake process lasts approximately an hour and a half to two hours to help her
create a plan to treat the whole person. By looking at the tongue or palpating
pulses, she can create a treatment plan for each individual.

“With
Chinese medicine, there’s no typical…everyone is different,” she said. The
treatment varies

with each person being seen. “Acupuncture is very good at
keeping people healthy,” she added. “It’s preventative medicine.”

“Everybody
can benefit,” Bickford said. “It’s really not as scary as it seems.” She has worked on over 100 patients. Some feel
better with one treatment; others require a few to get the energy moving. The
typical patient is better in 10 treatments or fewer. With a diagnosis of
stress, the patient may need a few more treatments when new issues arise.

“Eighty
percent of people fall asleep on the table, which allows their body to do what
it needs to do,” she said.

Her
advice is “come in”. She’s had many patients who said they don’t like needles.

“I
determine the fear level and work with that,” she said. Most people leave
saying, “That was so relaxing” or “who thought getting stuck with needles could
be so relaxing.”

She
does not treat patients with seizure disorders. However herbal medicine can
work for those patients. “I'm also careful with patients on blood thinners.”

Friday, June 16, 2017

Entrepreneur Karl Butterfield from
Raymond has had many businesses during his 11 years in Maine. In October 2016,
he answered a call from the Standish community and opened Mary Jane’s Smoke
House at 140 Ossipee Trail.

“People in the community wanted me. I
get a lot of nice people in here,” Butterfield said. Mary Jane’s Smoke House
carries different types of glassware for medical and recreational marijuana. He
does not sell marijuana as it is not legal to sell it until 2018.

Most of his customers use medical
cannabis for pain, he said. He doesn’t judge his customers and is free with his
advice and education of what he sells. “Who knows, maybe I’ll need it for that
someday,” he said. “They say it helps absolutely. I learn a lot from my
customers every day.”He estimates that
90 percent of people in the area smoke pot. The more accessible it is the more
comfortable people are with coming into his shop.

When he first opened, people would leave
their cars running, quickly come in the shop, buy what they wanted, jump back
in their car and speed off. Now people feel more relaxed about entering the
store and browsing.

A lot of his customers are caregivers
from the area. The shop carries glass cleaner, rolling papers, flavored rolling
papers, grinders, scales, water pipes, bubblers, bongs and oil rigs. He also
carries metal, glass, and wooden pipes in all shapes
and sizes. Many of the products are brought in
from Colorado or California, he said.

Friday, June 9, 2017

Farming is much more than planting
something in the ground and watching it grow or caring for animals. At Mulberry
Farms on North Raymond Road in Raymond, sandwiched between Gray and Poland,
owners Farmer Frank Pecoraro and his wife Debbie, have a passion for providing
good food to the community and educating them on where their food is coming
from.

“We wanted to provide good food to our
family, kids and the whole community. It’s good food you can count on. We’re
not as confident in the food distribution as we were in the past,” said Farmer
Frank, who has spent most of his life in the food industry.

Food at grocery stores is generally
chosen because it travels well, and because it travels well it doesn’t taste as
good, Farmer Frank explained.

Mulberry Farms is an all organic farm,
using natural ingredients to enrich the soil and help retain micronutrients and
minerals that are native to Maine soil. As stewards of the land, the Pecoraros
do everything they can to protect the property by rotating crops and fields
when necessary. They use no pesticides and leave fields farrow occasionally.
They admit they will never get rich from farming, but for them it’s more than
making money, it’s making a difference.

“It’s about giving back to the
community,” said Farmer Frank, as he is referred to on social media and by
everyone he knows.

Farmer Frank, his wife Debbie and son Mike

Mulberry Farms has a farm stand on North
Raymond Road where they sell their produce and other local products like honey
and maple syrup. They have seen women fight over the last cantaloupe in the
store, and others return moments after they left to buy another box of berries
to actually bring home because they ate the first one they bought.

There are U-Pick strawberries, high bush
blueberries and raspberries. They grow cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuces, squash
and so many more vegetables. This year they officially rolled out a Community
Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, where 77 families bought a basket of
produce a week for 16 weeks. Farmer Frank describes the program as giving the
community a chance to become invested in the farm. When the crops grow well,
the CSA baskets contain more food, when the crops don’t do as well the CSA
members might not get as much.

“They’re sharing in the pain or sharing
in the gain of the farm,” said Farmer Frank.

The CSA is partly about education.
Through a newsletter, the CSA members are educated on everything from
fertilizer to crop rotation. “It’s kind of a complete experience,” Farmer Frank
said. Fresh vegetables are getting kids hooked on the taste of the food.
Whether it’s snap peas or carrots, there will be a vegetable that will be the
“gateway vegetable” to the rest of them.

The farm sells product to RSU14, Good
Life Market in Raymond, Future Foods in Mechanic Falls and Shop & Save in
Gray. They also deliver to 10 to 14 summer camps in the area.

Only 11 acres of the farm is used to
grow produce. Two hundred and forty acres are in a farmland trust meaning that
they can never be developed. The Edwards family requested that as part of the
purchase.

Those from the area remember the
property as the Edward’s Farm. Carlton Edwards dedicated many years to the Town
of Raymond in public service, said Farmer Frank.

Farming isn’t all about the vegetables,
but also the paperwork that Farmer Frank and Debbie have to do to earn the
organic seal from
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association,and to
keep their plantings on schedule.

“Today’s farmers are significantly more
literate. They’re smarter and clever. You have to be a mini CEO to be a
farmer,” said Farmer Frank.

The biggest challenge to owning a farm
is, “the weather. You can’t do anything about it,” said Debbie. “It’s not just
seeds and tractors.”

The best part is giving back to the
community and working with a network of farmers who are very willing to give
their knowledge to the new folks on the farm.

For more about Mulberry Farms, visit www.mulberryfarmsmaine.com/
, find them on Facebook and Instagram or call 207-317-1101. Starting June 15th
the farm stand is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and on the
weekend from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Friday, June 2, 2017

Star Nails, an award winning nail salon
in Windham, is constantly looking for ways to improve and enhance the
experience for their customers. Keeping current on styles and trends is only
part of what owner Quang Nguyen has done to keep his salon competitive.

“Quality, value, cleanliness of the
place,” is how Nguyen described Star Nails. “It’s a friendly environment where
they get treated like they’re family.”

At the beginning of the year Star Nails
renovated putting in new flooring, seven new pedicure chairs, updated
technology and modernized the salon with new furniture. With an eye toward
safety and cleanliness, the new pedicure chairs have a liner in each bowl so
that the water is not contaminated by a previous guest.

“It makes me feel better to sell to
clients $2 extra for the price of a pedicure. Customers can see the value on
it,” said Nguyen.

Star Nails has been providing great
service to customers for years. Recently it has added chemical free polish and
powdered nail polish called dipping powder, which doesn’t chip or peel off. “It
makes nail bed healthier because of the formula,” said Nguyen. The newest
technique is ombre, which is the merging between two colors and a look called marbling.

“We watch new product videos every week,
and then help each other learn new techniques. We can’t have everything out
there, but we keep it reasonable to make it worthwhile for us and the
customers,” Nguyen said.

A 50- minute reflexology and pedicure
treatment can have health benefits, he said. In the summer many people look to
get a pedicure every two or three weeks to feel better and make their nails
healthier.

“In the summer people are tired of the
long winter,” he said. They schedule appointments to get their feet in shape
for sandal season. There is a summer special running now, a manicure and
pedicure for $40.

Quality work is important to all of the
employees at Star Nails. They want their customers to leave happy and ready to
show off their nails. If there is an issue, the employees and Nguyen
communicate with the clients and stay on top of it until the customer is happy.

“We expect that we make mistakes
sometimes, but we fix it,” he said.

In addition to manicures and pedicures, Star
Nails offers acrylic nails and waxing for eyebrows and bikini areas. Nguyen is
also planning on having an organic pedicure option with natural herbs, lotions
and organic polish with no chemicals involved.

Manicures can help make people more
confident especially when they are in public speaking, said Nguyen.

Clients return to Star Nails from their homes
in Bridgton, Casco, Raymond, Westbrook and even Florida to be pampered. “It’s a
positive surprise when they see what we’ve done. They see the value.”

Star Nails donates to different causes
and events to be a part of the community, Nguyen said. “We do it because people
who come here are local.”

Nguyen is happy that he is able to
create jobs and opportunities for his family. In Vietnam his relatives might
earn $100 a month, but here they can learn a trade and send money home to
Vietnam. They are not a burden on American society. “It makes me feel good,” he
said. “Ten years ago, I didn’t speak English and now I’m creating jobs, working
and supporting each other. It helps the whole family.” The work they do supports the community they
come from. Nguyen’s cousin, Jo Vo, is the manager of the salon.

Star Nails is located at 864 Roosevelt
Trail in Windham. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are preferred. Wait
times can be longer in the summer as more people are coming in for
appointments.

Star Nails is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The last walk in appointment is at 6:30 p.m. For
more on Windham Star Nails, find them on Facebook, or call for an appointment
at 207-892-7799.